Webinar Recap:
1. An Overview of the Soil
Foodweb- Elaine's work shows that if you restore the Soil Biology and the Soil Foodweb, you can suppress diseases and weeds, retain and access nutrients in the soil (and cut fertilizer use in the process), and build proper soil structure to hold more water and reverse erosion. A Healthy Soil Foodweb will produce more nutrient dense plants that are easier to manage and more tolerant of extremes.
2. Restoring Soil Biology on Lawns, Ranches, and Landscapes- Elaine's showed several case studies of how Soil Biology treatments were able to reverse severe degradation in lawns, marginal land, and ranches. These areas produced
healthy grasses that were vibrant and productive despite being in severe drought areas with high heat. While the surrounding areas were suffering, the the grasses with restored Soil Biology were thriving.
3. Restoring Soil Biology on Farms- Elaine showed how on 6 different farms, the addition of Soil
Biology in Compost made a night and day different in terms of yield, weed reduction, nutrient density, profit, and resilience against extreme weather. From a small garden plot to a 90+ acre farm, Soil Biology made the difference between high functioning, high yielding farms, and those about to collapse.
4. Large Scale Compost Treatments- Elaine gave several examples of how compost treatments can be scaled up, and the technology involved in that process. In the largest example, Elaine helped a ranch set up a composting system for over 300,000 hectares!
This was only a portion of what we talked about in the presentation, so if you want to learn about soil biology, watch it for the first (or second time). It will be well worth your time.
